The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1887-02-11

guest. II hope you VIII De conlorSapie'
Fanny will go up stairs with you and see you
nave all you need"
Then mother actually schools herself Il
know it is an effort, but a sense OF duty Is
strong in her) to kiss cousin Mary, a trial OF
moral strength | am not equal to, and a pro-
ceeding which seems to strike our visitor with
profound surprise. Ads proves herself as
great a coward as / am, for she merely shakes
hands, and then l conduct our guest upstairs
When we reach her room she suddenly turns
rOund to me. II want to know rightly what's
expected Of me-" she says. ITS all very fine
her talking like that"-and she points towards
the door with her thumb to signify she Is re-
ferring to mOther-but | want to know the
rights of the matter. 1t amt just likely she'll
saddle herself with a young woman she's to
make nothing out Of"
For a moment l feel indignant that mothers
Iisinterestedness should be suspected; then l
really began to fancy that perhaps, after all,
Jack was right, and our cousins brain is a
little unhinged; 50 I say soothiugly, as the
best way "f getting out of the difficulty
"Well, well, well see about it tomorrow.
| daresay you're tired tonight and must want
to be done talking. Good night. Breakfast
at $50; youth De called at eight" and | leave
her looking only half satisfied.
rush down stairs when l have quilted her.
Mother, Ada and Jack have drawn ronud the
fire, and are holding a family council. Their
tones are so grave, their faces express so much
chargrin, that were the whole affair not so cru
ely Notifying, it would be too absurd.
Fanny" begins Ada, in a tragic voice, 1--WE
rant take her to the st. Clare's. 1t would
never To-"
II don't see how we can help it," l say,
gloomily. Did you ever see anything like
her!"
"Neyer." returned my sister solemly; ''and
I really do not see how we are to take her
about" looking refectively into the fire. I'm
sure I should be ashamed to be seen with her. "
How long will she stay, mother2"
about a month, l should Think" says
mother with a sigh, mot longer"
''Quite long enough" says Ada, savagely,
while l can only reiterate, ga month !" des-
paringly. Then we are all silent, picturing l
suppose, what the prospective mont will bring
forth. Apparently none of us find the refec-
ton cheering.
Didn't you know what like she was when
you asked her?" asks Ada presently, with un-
reasoning impotence. us she like Uncle Ed
garw
'Why, you know, dear" says mother, an
swe-ing the impetuous outburst with her usu-
al unruffled gentleness, 1--WE never seen Mary
until tonight, and she is as like your uncle as
~-as-well, as she is unlike you, Ada" she ends
smilingly.
Ada is the strong point Of the family In per-
sonal attraction. Probably she is soothed by
the ~allusion, for she kisses mother by way of
apology, and we grow a little less doleful as
we resolve to make the best Of matters as they
are. So we get our work, and the clock on the
mantelpiece ticks steadily, and the fire burns
brightly, but somehow, instead of the usual
merry buzz of conversation, we seem sudden
ly to have developed a reflective turn of mind,
for the work progresses but our voices are ST.
lent. Presently we are startled by a ring at
the door bell-it must be quite two hours after
Cousin Mary has retired-indeed, we are just
putting our work together, as it is getting late
and libby brings in a red envelope, and
handing it to mother, says, in a voice of awe,
due to the occasion, "a telegram for you,
ma'am." "a telegraml' exclaims mother with
a nervous start born of a general horror of tel
c2Tduls, anu Il kuOW IudJ utT IuOuSubS SGIdlH NJ
way fly to Tom in India libby r~etires, and
Mother tears open the envelope with trembling
fingers and reads aloud:-
From Mary Montgomery, Yarley, to Mrs.
Vaughn, 5 Well Road, Tunburgh.
Have been obliged to delay my arrival till
tomorrow. Hope this viii not inconvenience
you. Will explain reason when w meet"
Mother reads it once through, then looks up
bewildered. at cant be for me-" she says>at
last, picking up the envelope and examining
the address.
'Ot course It is" / say; 'look here's your
name and address inside as well.n
But Mary's up stairs" says mother in a
puzzled tone. whats it all about / don't
understand, y and she proceeds to peruse the
telegram once more.
None of us understood at first, but gradual
ly a light dawns upon US.
II have it," says Ada In an eager, excited
tone. 1t isn't Mary we've got up stairs at all. y
She announces her conviction just as we all
come to the same conclusion.
Then who is it9' asks mother slowly. Yes,
who Is 1t. There's the rub.
Apparently an immense weight has been
lifted from Ada's mind by her discovery, for
regardless of the dilemma we are in If she is
right, her face beams with satisfaction.
Mothers, on the contrary wears q look OF
troubled anxiety, which i think the occasion
hardly justifies-an anxiety which seems to
deepen the more she ponders the matter. At
last she speaks.
'sSome one has known of this she says
gravely, laying her hand or the telegram.
Some one has known Of Mary's movements.
The woman up stairs is an imposter. / feel
sure Of 1t. She's not a woman either, or Pm
very much mistaken, = she goes on excitedly,
not needing the paradox; 'she's a mana